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- Year at a glance: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
- Key dates: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
- Campaign prep: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
- Quarterly check-in: filled example (CSV) · blank (CSV)
In Google Sheets: File, Import, Upload, then pick the CSV.
What's inside
- A year at a glance: each month's theme, key dates, campaign, offer, pillar focus and when preparation starts
- A key dates list from November 2026 to October 2027 with the day of the week, regions, a go or skip decision and the angle
- A campaign prep sheet working back from each live date
- A quarterly check-in to compare the plan with what happened
- A filled example for Saffron Lane, a fictional family restaurant (every detail is made up), and a blank CSV of each sheet
How to use it
- Start with the dates you already know: your busy seasons, quiet months, events and anniversaries.
- Add the holidays your customers care about from our social media holidays calendar, and skip the rest.
- Give each month one theme and at most one or two campaigns. A year of campaigns leaves no room for everyday posts.
- Write a prep start date for every campaign, so photos, offers and posts are ready in time.
- Check dates that move each year, especially ones that depend on the moon, a few weeks before.
- Each quarter, fill the check-in and adjust the next three months.
Preview: Year at a glance
A filled example for a made-up small business, first 8 of 12 rows.
| Month | Theme | Key dates | Campaign | Offer | Pillar focus | Prep starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Festival of lights | Diwali (Sun 8 Nov); Black Friday (Fri 27 Nov) | Diwali sweets boxes | Pre-order sweets boxes | Behind the scenes in the kitchen | Mon 12 Oct |
| December 2026 | Parties and gatherings | Christmas Eve (Thu 24 Dec); Christmas (Fri 25 Dec); Boxing Day (Sat 26 Dec); New Year's Eve (Thu 31 Dec) | Christmas party bookings | Set party menu | Offers and bookings | Mon 2 Nov |
| January 2027 | Fresh start | New Year's Day (Fri 1 Jan); Lohri (Wed 13 Jan) | Lighter lunch menu | Two-course weekday lunch | Recipes and ingredients | Mon 30 Nov |
| February 2027 | Ramadan begins | Lunar New Year (Sat 6 Feb); Ramadan (from about Mon 8 Feb, estimated); Valentine's Day (Sun 14 Feb) | Iftar evenings | Iftar set menu | Community | Mon 4 Jan |
| March 2027 | Eid and spring | Mothering Sunday, UK (Sun 7 Mar); Eid al-Fitr (about Wed 10 Mar, estimated); Holi (about Mon 22 Mar, estimated); Easter (Sun 28 Mar) | Eid feast platters | Pre-order platters | Celebrations | Mon 1 Feb |
| April 2027 | Outdoor season | Earth Day (Thu 22 Apr) | Garden terrace opens | None | The team | Mon 15 Mar |
| May 2027 | Family | Eid al-Adha (about Sun 16 May, estimated) | Eid al-Adha catering | Catering for gatherings | Catering | Mon 12 Apr |
| June 2027 | Summer menu | Father's Day (Sun 20 Jun); Social Media Day (Wed 30 Jun) | Summer menu launch | None | New dishes | Mon 10 May |
Preview: Key dates
A filled example for a made-up small business, first 8 of 16 rows.
| Date | Holiday | Regions | Date moves? | Decision | Angle | Ideas page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 8 Nov 2026 | Diwali | India, worldwide | Yes: Hindu lunar calendar | Go | Our sweets boxes and the family recipe behind them | zolyp.com/social-media-holidays/diwali |
| Fri 27 Nov 2026 | Black Friday | United States, worldwide | Yes | Skip | Not our customers' reason to visit | zolyp.com/social-media-holidays/black-friday |
| Thu 24 Dec 2026 | Christmas Eve | Worldwide | No | Go | Open until 4pm for takeaway | zolyp.com/social-media-holidays/christmas-eve |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas | Worldwide | No | Go: one post | A thank-you; closed for the day | zolyp.com/social-media-holidays/christmas |
| Thu 31 Dec 2026 | New Year's Eve | Worldwide | No | Go | New Year's Eve tasting menu | zolyp.com/social-media-holidays/new-years-eve |
| Wed 13 Jan 2027 | Lohri | India, worldwide | Usually 13 January | Go | Bonfire snacks on the menu for the week | zolyp.com/social-media-holidays/lohri |
| Sat 6 Feb 2027 | Lunar New Year | Worldwide | Yes: lunar calendar | Skip | Not a fit for our menu | zolyp.com/social-media-holidays/lunar-new-year |
| About Mon 8 Feb 2027 | Ramadan begins | Worldwide, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia | Yes: estimated, depends on moon sighting | Go | Iftar evenings; open late | zolyp.com/social-media-holidays/ramadan |
Preview: Campaign prep
A filled example for a made-up small business.
| Campaign | Prep starts | Photos and video by | Posts scheduled by | Live | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diwali sweets boxes | Mon 12 Oct | Mon 19 Oct | Mon 26 Oct | Mon 26 Oct to Sun 8 Nov | Priya |
| Christmas party bookings | Mon 2 Nov | Mon 9 Nov | Mon 16 Nov | Mon 16 Nov to Sat 19 Dec | Sunil |
| Iftar evenings | Mon 4 Jan | Mon 18 Jan | Mon 1 Feb | From the start of Ramadan (about Mon 8 Feb) | Priya |
| Eid feast platters | Mon 1 Feb | Mon 15 Feb | Mon 22 Feb | Mon 22 Feb to Eid (about Wed 10 Mar) | Priya |
| Summer menu launch | Mon 10 May | Mon 24 May | Mon 7 Jun | From Mon 14 Jun | Sunil |
| Five years of Saffron Lane | Mon 6 Sep | Mon 20 Sep | Mon 27 Sep | Fri 1 to Sun 31 Oct | Sunil and Priya |
Preview: Quarterly check-in
A filled example for a made-up small business.
| Quarter | What we planned | What happened | Change for next quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 to Jan 2027 | Diwali boxes, Christmas parties, January lunch | Example: Diwali boxes sold out a week early; party bookings slower than last year | Start Christmas party posts in October next year |
| Feb to Apr 2027 | Iftar evenings, Eid platters, terrace opening | ||
| May to Jul 2027 | Eid al-Adha catering, summer menu, street food Saturdays | ||
| Aug to Oct 2027 | Family deal, office catering, our birthday |
Tips
- Saffron Lane, its campaigns and every detail in the example are made up. The prep dates are the example restaurant's choices.
- Dates come from our social media holidays calendar, which covers 14 October 2026 to 13 October 2027. Dates that depend on moon sighting, such as Ramadan and both Eids, are estimates and can shift by a day or so locally; check closer to the time.
- Plan the year in themes and campaigns, then plan each month in detail a few weeks ahead. A year of daily posts written in advance rarely survives contact with the year.
- Leave room for everyday posts. Holidays and campaigns should be the peaks, not the whole calendar.
- When two dates collide, as Valentine's Day and Ramadan do in this example, decide which matters more to your customers and keep the other low-key.
- Zolyp, which makes this template, plans posts around the moments that matter to your business and lets you approve the week before it's published. Plans with AI-written posts start at $29 a month.
Common questions
What should an annual social media calendar include?
Each month's theme, the key dates and holidays that matter to your customers, the campaigns and offers you plan, and when preparation for each starts. A quarterly check-in keeps it current.
Which holidays should a business post about?
Only the ones your customers care about and that you have something genuine to say about. Skipping a date is fine. Our social media holidays calendar lists dates by month with ideas for each.
Why does this calendar start in November?
The dates come from our holidays calendar, which runs from mid-October 2026 to mid-October 2027, so the example covers the next 12 full months. The blank version works for any 12 months.
Are the dates in the example correct?
The holiday dates match our social media holidays calendar. Dates that depend on moon sighting are marked as estimates. The restaurant and its campaigns are made up.
Related
- Social media holidays calendar
- Holiday campaign planner
- Quarterly social media plan
- Monthly content ideas
- Ramadan post ideas
- Social media content calendar template
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